


Snap, Crackle & Pop

by habitualwords



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Blood Drinking, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Minor Kim Mingyu/Xu Ming Hao | The8, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-16 20:32:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14818379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/habitualwords/pseuds/habitualwords
Summary: Two werewolves, a witch and a vampire cross paths at a frat party. Seokmin's still waiting for the other shoe to drop.





	Snap, Crackle & Pop

**Author's Note:**

> 5 days before the deadline, I realized I was unhappy with where my original idea was headed, and with the help of the EVER AMAZING S, I managed to pull through and deliver this instead. This fic is self indulgence at it's best, and a weird mix of elements from Teen Wolf, Shadowhunters, the likes. I'm not sure how the first chapter alone ended up being 11k, but there's lots more of this to go around. Thank yous to my TL for reading my tweets bitching about this fic for two weeks straight, and to R, 2N & RT for helping me out when I got stuck. And again, Thank You S for betaing this as well, as well as to the mods for being patient with me <3

The first two weeks of a new semester are always so sluggish, it’s easy to forget that whatever you ignored in those two weeks _will_ come back to fuck you over. It’s pleasant, but it also forces you to reconsider every decision that lead up to pursuing higher education, the only thing offsetting the monotony of that time period being the parties older students throw to induct freshmen into a life cycle of poor decisions.

 

Seokmin’s at one of those parties — not a freshman, but not a senior either. He’s an in betweener, there for the free booze and to scope out new faces. If he’s lucky, maybe go home with someone tonight. The summer had been boring, and he wasn’t going to sleep with anyone in his coven, simply because he’d have to bump into them again. The crowd never stays the same long enough for Seokmin to single out the freshmen from the returning students, and the friends he’d arrived with, Soonyoung and Minghao, had all but disappeared into the crowd. He’d been flirting with someone earlier, but it had been boring, the man more interested in talking about his course load than actually getting to know Seokmin on any level. He’d left him to sit by the makeshift dance floor, looking out for anyone who might pique his interest.

 

It's slightly after midnight and the party is in full swing, people moving in and out of the door, more people gathering on the makeshift dance floor. There’s music playing but it’s heterosexual and therefore, tasteless. There’s really only so many times before Seokmin gets tired of the crowd yelling along to The Weeknd. The hour is also marked by the few unlucky freshmen who look green in the face, the seniors sitting with them looking both amused and concerned. No one _wants_ to see anyone puke, but it’s also really funny when it happens to freshmen, a rite of passage. Seokmin’s swirling the last of his gin and tonic in his cup; he has a low tolerance, and finishing the drink would fast track him to passing out on a couch.

 

He finishes it anyway, getting up to find his friends. He finds Soonyoung orchestrating a round of Taxi upstairs and the room stinks of weed, the kind that could knock even werewolves out. Seokmin's tempted to join, but he's never been good at crossing. He wants to stay awake, for now at least.

 

"Join us?" Soonyoung asks, grinning and holding up his bong.

 

The people seated on the floor fidget and, aside from a few familiar faces, Seokmin can tell that they're mostly freshmen, a mix of humans and supernaturals. He shakes his head at Soonyoung, smiling and closing the door behind him.

 

Somewhere between the landing and the bottom of the stairs, he’s had another two drinks shoved in his empty hands, both of which he finishes. He heads back to the kitchen, hoping that Minghao's there. Most of the alcohol intended for supernaturals had been stuffed there and  before they'd been separated Seokmin was sure Minghao was drinking from a laced blood bag. Surprisingly, Minghao _is_ in the kitchen—unsurprisingly he’s flirting with someone.

 

Seokmin stifles a smile because it looks like whoever Minghao's flirting with looks like a mix of mildly panicked and all too eager, eyes darting between Minghao's face, another man standing in the kitchen and to where Seokmin stands at the entrance of the kitchen. The other man is grinning at Minghao's interest for the night, which leads Seokmin to believe they're friends.

 

"Haooooo," Seokmin drawls, drawing Minghao's attention away from the man. "Who is your friend? Do I have to crash with Soonyoungie tonight?"

 

The man's face flushes bright red at the implication and a slow grin spreads across Minghao's face, even as he rushes to Seokmin’s side.

 

"How drunk are you?" Minghao asks.

 

Seokmin frowns, trying to count how many drinks he's had. He fails, and shrugs.

 

Minghao's still grinning, shaking his head at Seokmin fondly. "This is Mingyu, and this is his Alpha, Seungcheol."

 

Mingyu is the one Minghao was caging in, tall and dark haired with an easy smile, totally Minghao's type. Seungcheol, on the other hand, is dark haired and broad, exactly _Seokmin's_ type. Seungcheol also looks vaguely familiar, but Seokmin has four classes this semester and he’s unsure if Seungcheol looks familiar because he’s in one of them or because they’ve passed each other in the hallways. And then the connotations of what Minghao said hits him and he gasps.

 

"You're having a threesome with mated werewolves?" Seokmin asks.

 

Seungcheol lets out a bark of laughter and even Mingyu relaxes into amused chuckles

 

"They're not _mated_ , Seungcheol is the pack Alpha." Minghao explains. Seokmin ooh's, nodding.

 

Seungcheol's still smiling, and Seokmin _knows_ he's drunk, but Seungcheol's really pretty, pretty in a way you wouldn't usually associate with werewolves. Pretty like a vampire, or a fairy, lips red with some sort of tint and shirt unbuttoned to show his collarbones and silvery scars crisscrossing his chest, pretty in a way that makes Seokmin feel thirsty. He's lucky enough that Seungcheol's checking him out the same way Seokmin is. Minghao snorts next to Seokmin and Mingyu's nose crinkles, eyes narrowing at Seungcheol.

 

"Seungcheol, you get Seokmin for the night. If you make him cry I will know, and I will come after you." Minghao warns, tugging Mingyu after him as they escape.

 

If Seokmin knows Minghao, he's taking Mingyu back to their apartment. For someone who looked downright terrified of Minghao just moments ago, Mingyu goes along easily. It's possible Mingyu's just experiencing the mix of scared and horny that Minghao's general presence invokes. Seokmin knows, he's felt it before.

 

The kitchen is mostly quiet, except for the music that filters through—someone’s playing a remix of a pop song that's just as bad as the original. Seungcheol sets his beer down, approaching Seokmin with another smile, a concerned furrow to his brow. Something about his expression has Seokmin relaxing even if he's a stranger; the man just throws calming auras into the air as if half his job as a pack alpha isn't being aggressive to keep werewolves in line.

 

“I cry easily, just so you know,” he says, to break the tension, smiling when Seungcheol laughs.

 

"Choi Seungcheol, Dawnguard. Do you need water?" Seungcheol offers a hand for Seokmin to shake and Seokmin giggles.

 

"A handshake is rather formal, isn't it?" Seokmin asks when Seungcheol looks at him with his brows furrowed in confusion. "Lee Seokmin, Aether. _Not_ related to the queen, so you’re safe, and not in need of water. Let's dance."

 

Seungcheol takes his hand easily, leading Seokmin towards the dancefloor. The music still sucks, but it’s something that Seokmin can dance to at least and that’s what they do. For a moment Seungcheol and Seokmin exist in a pocket of space where he has his arms around Seungcheol, one of Seungcheol’s legs between Seokmin’s. He’s older now, and knows better than to grind down on a stranger’s thigh, but Seungcheol’s thigh feels thick with muscle and alcohol really has a way of doing you in. Seungcheol doesn’t seem to mind.iIf anything, his one hand on the curve of Seokmin’s back and the other in his back pocket, only seem to be encouraging Seokmin.

 

Their heads are close together, breaths mingling, and it’s hard to miss the way Seungcheol’s blatantly staring at the curve of Seokmin’s lips. He wants to kiss Seungcheol, until he feels another body behind him, too soft to be that of a man’s, a woman crowding behind him, her hands resting low on his stomach. In front of him, Seungcheol is impossibly tensed up, glaring just a little at the stranger. Seokmin tilts his head back onto her shoulder, grinning when he recognizes Nayeon.

 

“Hello,” Seokmin greets.

 

“Know this Alpha? Need me to get you away?” Nayeon asks, still swaying with Seokmin.

 

Seokmin glances back at Seungcheol, grinning lazily. “Yeah I’m good, don’t worry.”

 

Nayeon smiles, satisfied, giving Seokmin a quick peck on the cheek. Seokmin doesn’t miss the way Seungcheol’s eyes narrow at that, or the way he tugs Seokmin closer again, swaying to the music.

 

“Possessive much?” Seokmin jokes.

 

Seungcheol looks chastened, hands dropping from Seokmin’s waist. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to act like that. Just worried for you.”

 

“I was kidding, I would’ve said something if I wasn’t happy.”

 

Seungcheol smiles but it’s tense and Seokmin sighs internally, before noticing a small crowd gathering by a table at the edge of the dancefloor.

 

"Hey," Seokmin yells in Seungcheol's ear, Seungcheol flinching away. Right. Werewolf hearing.

 

"Sorry, I forgot," Seokmin continues at a much more normal volume, Seungcheol smiling at him to continue. 'Wanna do some shots off me?"

 

He points to the edge of the dance floor where a senior Seokmin vaguely recognizes is trying to organize pairs for body shots, one pair already having a go at it. This is exactly what his parents send him to college for: to get educated and to get wasted. Seungcheol glances at the table and then at Seokmin, lower lip caught between his teeth like he's having a hard time making up his mind. Seokmin snorts and grabs Seungcheol's hand, making his way through the crowd to the table.

 

"Are you always this eager?" Seungcheol asks.

 

He pulls them close together again, one of his hands warm and firm on Seokmin's ass. Seokmin's being uncharacteristically reckless but he's had a few drinks too many, all of them raging through him, fueling him with the kind of courage that usually takes him weeks to build.

 

"I've had a few drinks, and you're really cute." He says, honesty bleeding into his words.

 

Seungcheol smiles, more of a pleased look, bordering on bashful almost. They're the next pair in line and Seokmin's thrumming with excitement. He's only ever done body shots once with Soonyoung, because most bad decisions in his life can be linked back to Soonyoung.

 

“Who's going first?” the senior, Jaebum asks.

 

Seokmin pushes Seungcheol forward, a noise of protest leaving Seungcheol’s mouth. Seokmin laughs and Seungcheol looks exasperated, right up until he pulls his shirt off and Seokmin’s laughter dies in his throat. He’s not sculpted, not the way Seokmin’s ex Wonho was, but he’s toned— standing next to Jaebum, the difference in the widths of their necks alone has Seokmin’s throat dry. He’s not buff, but he’s broad and Seokmin’s very much regretting this. Seungcheol gives him a dirty glare when the table groans under his weight, biting down on the lime wedge, staying still as salt is sprinkled and a shot glass balanced on his abdomen.

 

Seokmin ducks down, licking the line of salt off Seungcheol's abdomen, his muscles tensing under Seokmin tongue. He swallows, expertly fitting the shot glass in his mouth and tilting his head back, the tequila burning a fiery path down his throat. He sets the shot glass aside before going for the lime wedge between Seungcheol's teeth, their lips brushing together awkwardly as Seokmin bites down on it.

 

He spits the lime out, pulling his own shirt up to prepare for his shot. He shivers when he feels Seungcheol’s tongue on him, his skin breaking out into goosebumps. He wants to laugh when Seungcheol struggles with his shot but then Seungcheol’s biting down on the lime wedge in his mouth and Seokmin’s just a little bit breathless. There's a hungry look in Seungcheol's eyes, one that lights a fire inside Seokmin, one that has his breaths coming shorter.

 

"You wanna get outta here?" Seungcheol asks. Seokmin nods.

 

The Uber ride to Seungcheol's apartment is tense but not uncomfortable, loaded with the knowledge of what's about to happen. Seokmin's snuggled up Seungcheol's side, one of Seungcheol's arms around his shoulder, one of Seokmin's hands heavy on Seungcheol's thigh. The moment the elevator doors slide shut, Seokmin is on Seungcheol, kissing him clumsily, brain too addled to coordinate his movements.

 

They stumble through Seungcheol’s apartment, and into his room, still joint at the mouth. Their kisses are urgent, Seokmin feeling like Seungcheol’s stealing his breath with every single one. The back of Seungcheol’s knees hit the mattress and Seokmin pushes him back onto it, grinning and making a move to take his shirt off his head before a wave of dizziness hits him.

 

"Seungcheol?" Seokmin mumbles, sitting down heavily. His head is spinning and suddenly, there's nothing he'd like more than to curl up on Seungcheol's bed and _sleep._

 

"Hmm?" Seungcheol's watching him from where he's reclined on the bed, shirt already off.

 

"You're really hot, but I'm really sleepy."

 

Seungcheol doesn't react the way Seokmin expected him too, doesn't become all steely eyed and ready to kick him out of the door. Seungcheol _laughs_ , a deep-throated cackle that makes Seokmin smile, getting off the bed.

 

"I'll get you some clothes."

 

Seungcheol's rifling through his clothes and Seokmin's sitting on his bed, kind of dumbstruck. If he wasn't attracted to Seungcheol before, he definitely is _now_ and it speaks volumes about Seokmin as a person if basic decency is what gets him all worked up. Then again, Wonho had been an extremely sweet boyfriend, so maybe basic decency _is_ what gets Seokmin worked up. Seungcheol hands him a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, still with an easy smile on his face.

 

"Bathroom's down the hall, and yellow toothbrush is a spare."

 

Seokmin nods, following directions and changing, brushing his teeth after thinking about how his own breath is going to kill him in the morning. When he gets back to the room Seungcheol's also changed out of his own clothes, hair soft and messed up, some of his earrings missing.

 

"You can sleep here, I can sleep in Mingyu's room."

 

Seokmin shakes his head. "I don't mind if you sleep with me. I don't like sleeping alone."

 

Seungcheol smiles at him and Seokmin's the slightest bit dazed by it. Junhui's boyfriend, Jeonghan, is a Son of Aphrodite, one of the stronger ones too. One time he'd smiled at Seokmin and for the rest of the day, Seokmin had been in a daze, responding to Jeonghan's every question and request. It had taken three hours before both Jun and Jeonghan realized that Jeonghan's charmspeak had affected Seokmin, before Seokmin managed to snap out of it himself. Since then, he'd added charmspeak protection to the growing list of protection charms that drew from his energy.

 

Seokmin _knows_ that Seungcheol is not capable of charmspeak, knows that he's drunk, but physically aware of his surrounding. Knows that whatever he feels for Seungcheol, whatever small fire that he had lit inside Seokmin? It's growing. It's real, and growing and capable of burning everything to the ground.

 

"Get into bed then."

 

Seokmin crawls into the bed, sighing at the softness of the sheets and the way they smell. Seungcheol turns the lamp off and the room is awash in the glow of the waxing moon and streetlights. It's easy to fall asleep like this, limbs melding with the softness of Seungcheol's mattress and lulled by how warm and solid he is beside Seokmin.

 

He turns to face Seungcheol and the level of intimacy should terrify him but he's surprisingly alright with it.

 

"I'm sorry we didn't get to do anything," Seokmin pouts.

 

Seungcheol giggles, fucking giggles, and Seokmin's heart melts a little bit more.

 

"That's okay," he says gently. "There'll always be other times."

 

He's surprised Seungcheol is even hinting at next times but he'll take whatever he can get. It's easy to fall asleep like that, comforted by Seungcheol's presence.

 

When he wakes up, his mouth tastes like the one time Seokmin had accidentally drank one of Minghao's blood protein shakes; like something has died in it, and left an aftertaste of not enough mint toothpaste. He blinks blearily at a ceiling he doesn't recognize, skylights letting in morning sun. He’s not in his own clothes, rather, a pair of sweats and a shirt that’s oversized, both soft with use and smelling distinctively like cloves.

 

"Hey," there's someone in the doorway and Seokmin blinks furiously, trying to clear his vision. It's Seungcheol, shirtless but still wearing his pyjama pants, thank god. "I was just about to wake you up."

 

“Did we do anything last night?” Seokmin asks hesitantly.

 

“We didn’t,” Seungcheol smiles, but it’s gentle. “You were sleepy, I gave you some clothes, we both went to bed. Nothing happened.”

 

Seokmin’s not sure if he’s disappointed or relieved with his past self. He's not sure when he's ever going to take home someone as gorgeous and sweet as Seungcheol is ever again.

 

"That's good," Seokmin croaks out.

 

"I made breakfast. Then I can drop you off, cause Mingyu's at your place anyway. You can shower first if you want to, I put your clothes in the dryer."

 

Seokmin chuckles, burying his face in his hands. "You have got to be the most responsible person I've ever gone home with in a while, and I'm really regretting not sleeping with you. At least i wouldn't feel so embarrassed."

 

Seungcheol snorts, a pleased looking grin stretching across his face.

 

"Not sure what that says about the people you've been sleeping with."

 

Seokmin laughs, standing up and stretching, groaning when his bones pop. He doesn't miss the way Seungcheol's eyes linger at the exposed skin of his shoulder and it's enough to set off that slow burn of desire once again, even if Seokmin doesn't want to engage in anything remotely sexy right now.

 

"I'm gonna uh, brush my teeth, then I'll join you."

 

Seungcheol nods and pads off to the kitchen, Seokmin quickly rushing to the bathroom to empty his bladder that's been killing him, wash his face and brush his teeth. When he gets out, the apartment is starting to smell like bacon and Seokmin's stomach rumbles in hunger.

 

Seokmin's not sure if Seungcheol's outdone himself, but there's huge helpings of eggs and bacon, alongside a slowly growing pile of French toast. Seungcheol’s cooking more on the stove and he wants to marry Seungcheol _right_ now. It’s 75% of his hangover talking, and 25% of Seokmin.

 

"I'm sorry I cooked so much, too used to accomodating for two werewolves. Also, I'm sorry it's just the simple stuff, Mingyu's the one who knows how to cook fancy quiches and frittatas and stuff." Seungcheol takes a seat opposite Seokmin, looking slightly apologetic.

 

"I'm glad you can cook at all. I'm usually used to people kicking me out of the house in yesterday's clothes and buying breakfast on my way home."

 

Seungcheol snorts, piling food onto his own plate. "I've forgotten just how ridiculous college students are."

 

"College students? How old are you?"

 

Seungcheol sets his knife down, frowning as he does the maths. "26 in human years?"

 

"Oh," Seokmin lets out a sigh of relief. "I was worried you were gonna be like, 40 in human years or something. I'm 24 in human years."

 

“40 year olds don’t look like me,” Seungcheol says, taking a sip of his coffee.

 

Seokmin lets his eyes linger on Seungcheol’s exposed chest, not missing the way Seungcheol struggles to hide a growing smile.

 

“No they don’t, they usually have less smile lines.” Seokmin adds, just to tease Seungcheol.

 

Seungcheol snorts, shrugging. Breakfast is pleasant, Seokmin learning more about Seungcheol as Seungcheol piles his plate with food. He's not any pack Alpha, he leads pack runs for all the Dawnguards in the area, which automatically makes him part of the Dawnguards council.

 

"So are you like, a prince or something?" Seokmin asks, shovelling more eggs into his mouth.

 

Seungcheol's face twists. "Something. I'm something."

 

"As long as you're not a serial killer.”

 

“I can promise I’m not.”

 

Seokmin smiles, and they keep conversing as Seungcheol makes a dent in the food, finishing more than half of what he cooked. They exchange numbers at some point, until Seokmin realizes it’s almost 2 p.m. and he’s been in Seungcheol’s apartment far too long.

 

“I need to leave,” Seokmin says, smiling apologetically.

 

Seungcheol looks down at his phone, grinning. “Well, Mingyu’s up and ready too.”

 

The drive to Seokmin’s apartment is filled with more conversation, Seokmin almost reluctant to leave the car when they reach his apartment.

 

“Could I,” Seungcheol hesitates. “Could I walk you up?”

 

“Yeah, of course.”

 

Seungcheol grins and it’s blinding, Seokmin smiling back weakly. Mingyu and Minghao are waiting outside their unit when they reach his floor. Mingyu has a nasty hickey at the juncture of his throat, Seungcheol letting out a low whistle.

 

"You fucking reek like a slaughterhouse," Seungcheol teases.

 

Behind Mingyu, Minghao's regarding Seungcheol through narrowed eyes.

 

"You smell like mutt," Minghao offers, although it lacks the heat to make it an insult.

 

"And you're gonna _keep_ smelling like mutt for a few days." Seungcheol ribs.

 

Minghao grins and Seokmin shakes his head.

 

"Thank you," Seokmin says, reaching for Seungcheol's hand to squeeze it. Seungcheol tenses up in surprise before he smiles, squeezing back.

 

"Anytime."

 

Mingyu snorts again, exchanging a goodbye with Minghao. Seokmin watches Mingyu and Seungcheol's retreating backs until they enter the elevator, Seungcheol waving as the door closes. Minghao raises an eyebrow at Seokmin’s borrowed clothes, Seokmin flipping the bird at him.

 

"Please don't approach me for cuddles for at least two days. You smell like him," Minghao jerks his head in the direction they’d just left.

 

"As if you don't smell like Mingyu?"

 

"Seoku, I _smell_ like Mingyu. You _reek_ of Seungcheol. Good luck trying to pick up a werewolf _or_ vampire in the next few weeks.”

 

Seokmin’s smiling to himself as he grabs his stuff for a good, long shower. The rest of the weekend passes in a daze of looking through his assignment requirements and typing up outlines, but he spends every other moment thinking about Seungcheol.

 

☽☾

 

Supernatural Relations is hardly the most exciting class he has this semester, but it’s a mandatory class. For that reason, Seokmin’s sitting in a 9 a.m. lecture surrounded by humans who don’t understand _anything_ about supernatural politics. It's not the most exciting class, until Seungcheol walks in.

 

Seokmin sits up a little straighter, hoping that Seungcheol doesn't notice the empty seat to his right. It's not that he's changed his mind about Seungcheol between Saturday, and now, no. It's that he's spent every moment between Saturday and this exact moment thinking about Seungcheol, not realizing the reason he'd looked familiar to Seokmin was because they shared a class together. To his luck, Seungcheol does find him in the seventh row of seats, grinning as he makes his way up.

 

"I thought I smelt you," Seungcheol says, unpacking his bookbag.

 

Seokmin looks down at his shirt, relieved when there are no stains on them, trying to sniff himself discreetly.

 

"Do I smell?" He asks, concerned.

 

"Yeah like? Sunflowers and your perfume. There's also other stuff, and a lot of Minghao. It's very distinctive."

 

Seokmin snorts, Seungcheol raising a brow. "When you said I smelt, I thought you meant I smelt bad. I didn't realize you were scent tracking me."

 

Seungcheol blushes a brilliant red, head ducking down and frantically flipping through the textbook.

 

"I, uh, didn't mean to scent track you." Seungcheol mumbles, still not meeting Seokmin's eyes.

 

Seokmin grins, patting Seungcheol's hand on the table. "I'm used to Minghao scent tracking me. Just surprised you did it."

 

Seungcheol mumbles something that Seokmin doesn't hear, saved only by their professor getting up to begin the lecture. It's another boring lecture about Ascension, and Seokmin never thought he'd ever come to a point where he found the history of Ascension boring, but here he is.

 

He, like every other supernatural seated in this hall, knows Ascension like the back of his hand. Knows how after the loss of the Second World War, the supernatural community, represented by witches, werewolves, vampires, faeries, elves and demigods had stepped out of the shadows, revealing their presence to humans. Later on they were joined by the demons and the dwarves, formally known as the Octo, which, uncreative, but true. The Octo were represented through a monarch elected to represent the interests of the Octo alongside the government officials of their country.

 

It wasn't the best system, having caused more conflict within each species not to mention within the eight themselves, but at the end of the day, humans and supernaturals alike lived in relative harmony. Humans, however, rarely expended any energy outside of knowing the current supernatural monarch, which lead them to this point: Seokmin, hyper aware of Seungcheol next to him, stuck in the most boring lecture known to man. Seokmin's doodling in his notes, but Seungcheol is diligently taking down points from the lecture, even writing questions in the margin.

 

Their professor says something and Seungcheol snorts derisively.Seokmin turns to him, eyebrows raised. Seungcheol leans in, lips brushing against Seokmin's ear. It's almost like Seungcheol's testing the limits of Seokmin's patience.

 

“The Ascension system is a flawed one, and will never truly serve its purpose.”

 

“Sure, but it gets the job done, no?” Seokmin murmurs back.

 

Seungcheol pulls away, and frowns. “When is it hardest being a witch? When do things take forever to get solved?”

 

“When the Fae ascend, but that’s only because they have no perception of time.” Seokmin argues, voice low.

 

Seungcheol quirks a brow, smiling triumphantly. Just as he opens his mouth, he’s interrupted by their professor.

 

“Anything you’d like to share with the class?” Their professor is glaring at Seokmin and Seungcheol, the class also turning in their seats to find them.

 

“With all respect, sir, the Ascension system is flawed and the supernatural community will never reach our fullest potential because of it.”

 

The class is filled with low murmurs, interspersed with vampires hissing their dissent, only to be countered by low growls. Nothing like riling up the founders of the system to inject a little adrenaline into everyone’s systems. Even Seokmin can feel the spike in the energy levels, exacerbated by the humans casting furtive glances at all available exits. Their professor waves his hand in a gesture for Seungcheol to continue.

 

“Supernatural interests will never be fairly represented in the UN, simply because each Ascendant is too busy trying to fulfill the interests of their species. Think about it, more blood research divisions were set up when the Youngbloods held the position of Ascendant, because they wanted sustainable feeding. At the same time, werewolves _needed_ more reserve spaces. Our packs were growing, but they were so busy pushing sustainable feeding our lands became crowded until the Fae ascended and looked into our appeals.”

 

“What are you saying, Mr Choi?”

 

“I’m saying that for every human representative on the UN, all supernaturals of the Octo should also have representatives, therefore giving every species a better chance at fulfilling their interests.”

 

There’s a stunned silence following Seungcheol’s words; Seokmin considers the truth of his words. It’s true that having a representative for South Korean witches on the UN would be better than trying to push through the clutter of other demands going through the Ascendant. Even the vampires, the most reluctant when it comes to change, are murmuring amongst themselves, the humans looking thoroughly confused.

 

“Thank you for your contribution, Mr Choi.”

 

Seungcheol nods and smiles, looking entirely too pleased with himself. He turns back to Seokmin. “That’s what I meant.”

 

Seokmin smiles. "You sound like you gave that a lot of thought."

 

"It's what I do in the Court," Seungcheol shrugs.

 

They both turn their attention back to the lecture, the monotony of it broken following Seungcheol's statements, the whole class brimming with a restless energy. Seokmin fidgets in his seat, naturally drawing off their energy and becoming even more restless himself, Seungcheol occasionally turning to him with an expression of concern.

 

He's practically bouncing in his seat by the time the lecture is over, brimming with too much energy.

 

"Are you alright?" Seungcheol asks, carefully putting his things away.

 

Seokmin presses his lips together, debating the merits of telling him. "There was a lot of energy in that room, and I was tapping into it. Now I have too much energy, and I don't know what to do."

 

The way other witches are walking out of the classroom, he knows he's not the only one who overindulged. One of the benefits of attending university, compared to staying with your covens, is that there was always an excess of energy floating around, made to be harnessed by witches.

 

"What do you usually do to calm down?" Seungcheol asks, shrugging his backpack on.

 

"Um, I go to the greenhouses?" Seokmin's not quite sure where Seungcheol is going with this.

 

"Let's go then, c'mon, pack up."

 

Greenhouse 4 is Seokmin’s favourite greenhouse. It houses the flowering plants, the same kind that need exact care if they’re to grow and fulfill the purpose of being used in potions. Seokmin isn’t the only one who stops by the greenhouses often to pour his energy into the plants, but he is one of the more frequent visitors of Greenhouse 4. Seungcheol looks amazed by all the plants around him and it brings a smile to Seokmin’s face.

 

Seokmin can feel Seungcheol’s eyes on him as he channels his excess energy into a bed of tulips, the flowers slowly regaining their colour again. Seokmin can taste the crackle of energy in the air, like the tang of iron in his mouth. Seungcheol’s quiet, simply touching the flowers. Seokmin stops when Seungcheol breaks out into shivers, leading both of them out.

 

“Fuck, how do you keep that pent up in you?” Seungcheol says, rubbing his arms as if it’ll help him disperse the energy.

 

“I don’t,” Seokmin smiles.

 

“It’s worse than what I feel before the full moon, and I lead a whole pack.” Seungcheol admits.

 

Seokmin grabs his hand, siphoning the excess energy that’s latched itself onto Seungcheol, smile gentling when Seungcheol’s expression turns into one of relief.

 

“Thank you for coming with me.”

 

“Thank you for showing me that.”

 

Seokmin squeezes his hand again, and in a moment of uncharacteristic boldness, darts forward to press a kiss to Seungcheol’s cheek. Seungcheol’s too stunned to say anything when Seokmin begins the walk back to the faculty buildings. He goes through his last class for the day in a daze thinking about Seungcheol. Judging from the way his phone buzzes occasionally, Seungcheol might be too.

 

☽☾

 

Seokmin feels like his relationship with Seungcheol is progressing _extremely_ slow. It might have more to do with the fact that he’s comparing himself to Mingyu, who looks like he’s turned into Minghao’s personal scratching and teething post. Then there’s also the part of him that’s hesitant, because as much as he wants to date Seungcheol, properly _date_ him, he’s terrified Seungcheol doesn’t see it that way.

 

So he goes to the best (read: worst) person to ask about anything on campus. Kwon Soonyoung. He’s unsuprised to find Soonyoung in the cafeteria, a huge portion of food on his tray.

 

“What do you know about Choi Seungcheol?” Seokmin asks.

 

Soonyoung raises an eyebrow, smirking. “Dawnguard, transfer student, senior, _hot_ and more importantly, unmated.”

 

Seokmin rolls his eyes and stabs at his pasta instead.

 

“Why are you asking?” Soonyoung asks, learning forward.

 

“No reason in particular.”

 

"Sure it has nothing to do with the fact he stinks the area up every time you're around?" Soonyoung asks, tone as nonchalant as possible.

 

Seokmin chokes, ducking his head and taking a mouthful of his food.

 

"Nothing to do with that," Seokmin mumbles.

 

Soonyoung nods, although from the satisfied smirk on his face, Seokmin knows Soonyoung got more out of this conversation than Seokmin did. On the bright side, Seokmin doesn't have to worry about Seungcheol being promised to some werewolf, and said werewolf attacking Seokmin anytime soon. It wasn't going to be pretty for either one of them, even if Seokmin didn't have the enhanced physiology of werewolves.

 

Soonyoung snorts and Seokmin looks up, Soonyoung pointing behind him. Seokmin turns to find Seungcheol rushing through the cafeteria, balancing a huge stack of textbooks.

 

Seungcheol greets Soonyoung before turning to Seokmin.

 

“So Mingyu’s cooking tonight, the fancier stuff that I can’t make. He's invited Minghao, so I thought I might invite you as well?”

 

“You're sure we're not crashing a date?” Seokmin asks, amused.

 

“Definitely. Mingyu didn't beg or bribe me to leave the apartment, so we won't be witnessing any uh, unfortunate incidences.”

 

Seokmin's sure he's referring to the time both of them had came home from the library only to find Mingyu fucking Minghao on the sofa. Seungcheol had been upset for three days before Minghao offered to buy him a whole new sofa set. It was over the top, but it was Minghao.

 

“Yeah,” Seokmin's smile gentles. “I'll join you for dinner.”

 

Seungcheol beams, throwing a hasty excuse for being late to class and a bye at Soonyoung, practically running out the door.

 

“I can't wait to see pictures of you and him outside some sprawling mansion on the reserves playing with your three pups,” Soonyoung sighs out.

 

Seokmin coughs, blinking furiously. “ _What?”_

 

“Like I said, his wolfy pheromones just go wild around you. The whole time he was talking to you, I was imagining a family with him. It might be the swoopy Clark Kent thing his hair is doing today though.”

 

Seokmin huffs into his food. He's not sure what kind of response he should give Soonyoung, but he is sure of how his heart is racing in his chest.

 

“You know,” Soonyoung says seriously. “He's really into you. Wolves are intense like that. I really don't think he's seeing anyone else, or that this is going to be a bad thing for either one of you.”

 

Seokmin smiles. So maybe Soonyoung isn't the worst person to ask for advice. It just takes him some time to get there.

 

“Thank you.”

 

It’s much later in the day when Minghao drives them to Mingyu and Seungcheol’s apartment.

 

“So we’re really not crashing a double date, right?” Seokmin asks as they enter the elevator.

 

“No, you’re not,” Minghao says, rolling his eyes.

 

“I’m just checking!” Seokmin protests.

 

Mingyu’s outdone himself, in Seokmin’s opinion, but Seungcheol assures him that they more or less eat the same amount of food. There’s two baking dishes of lasagna, some fancy version of mashed potatoes with cheese in it, and one of those salads you only see people eat on TV, complete with vinaigrette dressing that Seokmin makes a face at. It’s only then does he realize he’s not crashing a date because this is a _double_ date.

 

Dinner is mostly uneventful. _Mostly._ It’s fun watching Seungcheol tease Mingyu, even funnier when Minghao jumps to Mingyu’s defense without realizing he’s doing it. Occasionally though, Mingyu and Minghao fidget uncomfortably, Minghao mouthing a later when Seokmin asks him what’s up. It’s relaxed the way a night with friends tends to be, and Seokmin manages to forget completely that it’s a double date of sorts.

 

It’s only much later when they’re home does Minghao tell him what’s wrong. Minghao lets himself into Seokmin’s room without knocking, Seokmin taking one of his earbuds out, raising a questioning brow.

 

“Can you end that poor man’s misery?” Minghao whines.

 

“Seungcheol?” Seokmin asks, confused.

 

“ _Yes_ ,” Minghao hisses, taking a seat at the foot of Seokmin’s bed. “Every time he’s around you the air gets flooded with his pheromones, and Mingyu and I have to suffer through _that_. And considering you hang out on campus, I’m pretty sure it’s not just us suffering.”

 

Seokmin can feel his face warm up with his blush. “Does he really?”

 

“Yes. And it drives our instincts crazy, especially Mingyu’s, because it’s telling us to be with him.”

 

“Good thing I’m immune, isn’t it?”

 

Minghao runs his fingers through his hair, sighing heavily. “I’m happy you’re immune, because it means you’re not just blindly running bed with him but like, I don’t know, get together? Fuck it out, get mated, raise a family, anything that’ll stop my boyfriend from having wet dreams about his alpha.”

 

“You called Mingyu your boyfriend.” Seokmin teases.

 

“That was _not_ the point of this,” Minghao warns, standing up.

 

Seokmin chuckles. “I promise I’ll talk to him soon. I just didn’t want to rush into anything?”

 

Minghao sighs again. “He’s not giving fuck me pheromones, if you must know. It’s more mate me pheromones.”

 

“ _Oh_ ,” Seokmin says, looking down at his phone. ‘I’ll talk to him soon. Promise.”

 

He gets a thumbs up from Minghao and the door closing gently behind him.

 

☽☾

 

Seokmin knows his tolerance is shit, but that's not going to stop him from celebrating the sweet, sweet release from the hell of midterms. It's why he's rifling through his clean clothes for an outfit that Minghao would approve of — something that _isn't_ a striped shirt. He ends up unearthing a black mesh shirt, a joke gift from Soonyoung he'd ended up liking, even if he only wore it on his nights out.

 

If he's being honest with himself, part of the reason he's getting dressed up is because he's spent the past two weeks shuffling around in oversized sweaters stained with various potion stains and the same pair of sweats, feeling like a glorified zombie. Then there’s the bigger part of him that wants to impress Seungcheol, because Seungcheol had been the one to invite him to the club. _Soon_ was three weeks ago and since then, Seokmin and Seungcheol have been spending more time together, studying together, relaxing together. Seokmin, Seungcheol and the tension hanging in the air just urging them to do _something._ Seokmin's tired of this weird dance they're trapped in, wants some kind of resolvement, even if it ends in rejection.

 

At least if Seungcheol rejects him tonight, it doesn't change the fact that he looks really good, and it would be entirely Seungcheol's loss. He hears the front door being unlocked, Minghao's voice drifting in. It sounds like he's arguing with someone and Seokmin grins, exiting the room only to latch himself onto Minghao's back. Minghao _is_ arguing, but it's less out of anger and more out of exasperation which means he's talking to Mingyu.

 

"Trouble in paradise?" Seokmin teases.

 

Minghao turns around and gives him the stink eye, simultaneously detaching Seokmin's arms from around his neck. Seokmin's happy that Minghao has found Mingyu, even if Minghao spends a good portion of his time pretending that Mingyu is an oversized baby. It makes the moments where his emotions for Mingyu are so transparent on his face worth it.

 

He ends the call, properly looking at Seokmin. His look is one of approval, which means that tonight, Seokmin gets to escape Minghao brandishing the eyeliner pencil. He won't escape the glitter, because no one ever does, but glitter is far more preferable compared to Minghao jabbing his eyeballs with an eyeliner pencil.

 

"What time are we going there?"

 

"Mingyu's coming over at 9 to pregame, then we're leaving for Flux at 10. I think Wonwoo and Seungkwan might be joining us?" Minghao takes off his shoes, arranging them neatly by the door before entering his room, Seokmin trailing behind him.

 

Seokmin balks. " _Wonwoo_ is going clubbing?"

 

"Soonyoung threatened him. Or seduced him. I'm not sure I want to know."

 

"Gross, but understandable. What is Mingyu bringing?"

 

"Wine."

 

"Why are you every stereotype of a vampire?" Seokmin bemoans.

 

An item of clothing flies at his face, thankfully just a T-shirt and not one of Minghao's heavier jackets.

 

"Hey, very fragile witch here."

 

Minghao snorts, emerging from his closet holding onto a mesh crop top and a pleated skirt. "Crop top or pleated skirt?"

 

"Why not both?" Seokmin suggests.

 

"Because," Minghao smirks. "We might just have a werewolf tearing up the club."

 

"Crop top. We can match."

 

Minghao smiles and pushes him out the door, Seokmin opting to take a short nap on the couch. He's awoken by Minghao moving his legs to make space for himself before draping Seokmin's legs over his lap, balancing his laptop on them. Minghao smiles at him when he catches Seokmin looking and Seokmin smiles back, snuggling further into the cushion and easily drifting off again.

 

The next time he wakes up, it's because Mingyu has arrived, bringing with him the noise of a scuffle and the sound of a shattering glass. Minghao's rolling his eyes, and Mingyu looks mildly apologetic but he's also blatantly checking Minghao out. The source of the broken glass turns out to be a half-empty wine bottle, and Seokmin snorts.

 

"Vamp got your tongue?"

 

Mingyu pouts, helping Minghao pick up shards of glass while Seokmin goes looking for the broom. Minghao's glaring at Seokmin, but Seokmin's known him long enough that the smugness radiating from Minghao is practically a halo.

 

"I wasn't expecting _this_ when Minghao said he had a surprise."

 

If Minghao could still blush, he'd be a bright shade of red. As it is, he looks like he's trying to convey just how he's going to strangle Mingyu with his eyes. And Mingyu, as Mingyu, totally misses it.

 

"Sooo, where are Seungkwan and Wonwoo?" Seokmin deflects.

 

Mingyu looks surprised at the change in the topic, but is smart enough to not bring it up. "They're on their way. I think Seungkwan texted to say he was parking just as Hao opened the door?"

 

The buzzer rings and Seungkwan sticks his head around the still open door, Seokmin waving him in.

 

"What happened?"

 

Seokmin glances at Minghao, who’sstill glaring so he just smiles and goes with the safer explanation of Mingyu’s clumsiness. The rest of their pregaming session goes by without incident and with a fairly uninspiring game of never have I ever. Seokmin and Minghao have been friends for so long that by the time they have to leave, Minghao’s already three-fourths of the way through his bottle of O-positive laced red.

 

“I think it’s unfair that werewolves know the best place to get alcohol.” Minghao whines, resting against Mingyu’s shoulder.

 

They take a cab to Flux despite it being 5 blocks away. When they get there, Soonyoung and Junhui are already there, securing a table. There's wristbands at the entrance; blue for werewolves, red for vampires, purple for witches, assortments of other colors for the rest. Seokmin snags a purple one and excuses himself from the group, headed towards the bar. Seokmin's ordering a round for the table when a man approaches him, a bright blue wristband indicating he's a werewolf. He's blatantly checking Seokmin out and Seokmin blushes, always shy when he receives _any_ form of attention.

 

"You're really handsome. Any chance I can buy you a drink? For your number?" The man smiles at him, gesturing towards the bar.

 

Usually Seokmin would be thrilled, but not tonight. Not when he's looking out for Seungcheol, and generally looking to have a fun time. He shakes his head.

 

"Thank you, but I'm not interested."

 

He walks away before he can hear the man's response, eager to get back to his friends. When he gets to the table, Seungcheol and Jeonghan have joined them. Seungcheol looks up when Seokmin takes a seat, smiling at him and mouthing a hello. He mouths a hello back, distracted when Soonyoung cheers at the arrival of their drinks.

 

It feels like the drinks keep arriving just as they finish the round and at some point in the night, Seungcheol's migrated to Seokmin's side of the sofa, hand resting heavy on Seokmin's thigh. Seokmin doesn't miss the way Soonyoung and Minghao pointedly glance at where Seungcheol's hand disappears under the table.

 

“I’m gonna go dance,” Seokmin says. The perks of werewolf hearing is that he doesn’t have to yell for Seungcheol to hear him, the other simply removing his hand from Seokmin’s thigh and pushing him forward with an eager go.

 

He’s slightly disappointed Seungcheol isn’t following him but it’s enough knowing that he can feel Seungcheol’s gaze heavy on him as he makes his way through the throng of bodies on the dance floor, losing himself to the heavy beats of the bass. He’s joined by friends and strangers alike, the buzz of alcohol keeping him giddy and on his feet, light pulsing across his eyelids every time he blinks.

 

Seokmin's moving his body along to the music, eyes closed, still dizzy from the shots he'd done with Soonyoung, the other half caught in the trance inducing music when he feels someone else slide behind him. They don't make a move to introduce themself, which means it's not one of his friends. It's alright at first, the warm solidness of someone against Seokmin's back, but then the stranger is gripping Seokmin's waist and pulling their bodies flush together. Seokmin stiffens, eyes flying open when the stranger starts grinding against Seokmin's ass.

 

It's the same man who tried to buy him a drink, who apparently, is one of those werewolves who don't understand the concept of non-interest.

 

Seokmin tries to pull away, but his grip only tightens, pulling Seokmin _even_ closer. The strobing lights makes it hard for him to find any of his friends and he's starting to panic, his own heartbeat thumping in time with the heavy bass of the music. It's just at that moment that Seokmin catches Minghao at the edge of the dance floor, head bent towards Mingyu. He yells Minghao's name, a sound that’s usually swallowed up by the music.

 

Minghao's head jerks up, eyes scanning the crowd for Seokmin when he yells Minghao's name the second time. To Seokmin's relief, both Minghao and Mingyu make their way towards him, the crowd parting around Mingyu with ease, Minghao's eyes raging with anger.

 

"Get the fuck off my friend," Minghao snarls, pushing the stranger.

 

His grip on Seokmin loosens and he manages to pull away, immediately standing behind Mingyu.

 

The lights are reflecting off Minghao's fangs, suddenly prominent, and the other werewolf's eyes are glowing a dangerous shade of red. Great, they've gone and pissed off an Alpha, which means that even Mingyu and Minghao's combined strength wouldn't be enough for the encounter.

 

The Alpha shoves back at Minghao, growling. Seokmin can feel Mingyu growling more than he can hear it, and the people around them are starting to realize what's going on, clearing the space around them. No one likes being in the center of a fight between a werewolf and a vampire.

 

"What's going on?" Seungcheol asks.

 

Seokmin's never been so relieved to hear Seungcheol's voice before.

 

"This asshole was groping Seokmin even though he was trying to pull away." Mingyu says.

 

Seungcheol takes one look at Seokmin's face and his own expression shifts into pure rage, eyes glowing and fangs extending. Seokmin forgets just how powerful Seungcheol is as an Alpha, but the man in front of him looks foolish enough to try and fight Seungcheol.

 

"You're the Alpha stupid enough to leave his scent all over that half-breed hag." He sneers, taunting Seungcheol.

 

Something in Seungcheol snaps and he snarls, eyes flashing a bright red, charging at the other Alpha. His fist connects with the side of the Alpha's face, the sound lost in the noise of the club.

 

"Seungcheol, don't do this here," Mingyu pleads.

 

Everyone's keeping their distance — including the bouncers. The only thing that gets messier than confrontations between werewolves and vampires are those between Alphas. Seungcheol punches the Alpha again but this time, he punches back, catching Seungcheol's jaw with an uppercut and making him stagger back.

 

The Alpha uses the distraction to grab a bottle from the nearest table, breaking it and waving it in Seungcheol's direction. Seokmin's gasp is lost in the noise; one wrong move, one wrong artery and Seungcheol could be bleeding out all over the floor of the club before emergency services got here.

 

"Seungcheol, please stop," Seokmin pleads.

 

Seungcheol glances to him and for a moment his features soften, losing the feral edge, looking a lot more like _Seungcheol_ and not Choi Seungcheol, Alpha. The other Alpha wildly thrusts the bottle in Seungcheol’s direction, Seungcheol throwing his arms up to protect himself. Blood blossoms down Seungcheol’s arm but then Seungcheol launches himself at the Alpha, pinning him down.

 

Seungcheol growls, and it's a low, droning sound, one that makes the bones in Seokmin's body rattle. Next to him, Mingyu's eyes are flashing. He's not the only one, the other werewolves in the club also stiffen at the sound. Underneath Seungcheol, the Alpha looks scared shitless, the red quickly fading from his eyes.

 

"My apologies, Alpha, I didn't know —”

 

"It doesn't matter. Apologize to Seokmin," Seungcheol interrupts.

 

Seungcheol climbs off the brunette and roughly pulls him to his feet. He looks back at Seungcheol before facing Seokmin, barely meeting his eyes.

 

"I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable," He says, loud and clear.

 

"And for calling you a hag." He adds hastily after stealing a glance at Seungcheol's face.

 

Seungcheol's looking at Seokmin like he's waiting for an approval for the apology, like he's going to shake another one out of the Alpha if Seokmin's not happy. There's something raging in Seokmin's veins, closing up his throat with how afraid he is to give it a name. It's a good simmering though, one that makes him want to run away with Seungcheol.

 

"It's alright," he says softly.

 

"I don't want to see you near him or back here _ever_. You don't want to know what will happen if you do."

 

The threat hangs in the air as he exits the club, the other werewolves relaxing slightly even though they still look tense, ready to fight. Seungcheol gives him a rueful smile before making his way towards the exit and Seokmin starts after him, only for Minghao to grab his hand.

 

Minghao's brows are furrowed in concern. "Did you know that Seungcheol is a —”

 

"Member of the courts? Yes. Let me go, he's hurt."

 

Minghao lets go of him but his expression is closed off and guarded, clearly worried. Seokmin finds Seungcheol pacing outside the entrance, the red in his eyes slowly fading away. Seungcheol's head jerks up and he's looking at Seokmin like he's expecting a scolding. His shirt is stained with blood, and the cut on his forearm is still bleeding.

 

"Thank you."

 

Seungcheol nods stiffly, looking down again. Seokmin approaches him, caressing Seungcheol's face with one hand and tilting his chin up so Seungcheol can meet his eyes. The air is charged with the same electricity of an incomplete spell, waiting for an opening to burst through and do its magic.

 

"What's wrong?" Seokmin asks.

 

"I lost control,"

 

"And you didn't hurt anyone," Seokmin says, trying to keep his voice as firm as possible. "You didn't even hurt that Alpha. I'm safe, I'm alright, I'm right here."

 

Seungcheol sniffles, and Seokmin _knows_ he's a powerful Alpha, part of the Dawnguard court, but he looks exactly like a puppy.

 

"You look like a puppy."

 

Seungcheol smiles at that, and seeing Seungcheol smile brings a smile to Seokmin's face.

 

“Come on, let’s go to my place, I can heal this.”

 

They walk the five blocks to Seokmin and Minghao's apartment in a comfortable silence, their hands occasionally brushing against each other. If Seokmin were a braver man, he'd take Seungcheol's hand in his, hold on tight, never let go. He settles for the warm presence next to him, and the effervescent bubbles feelings that flutter through him every time their fingers _do_ brush against each other.

 

Seokmin leads Seungcheol to the kitchen and pushes him into a chair, immediately digging through his cupboards for the various salves he keeps in stock.

 

"You don't have to heal me, you know? I'll heal myself."

 

"Werewolves are all fools. You're going to get an infection and die." Seokmin sets the salves on the table and sets to work on finding bandages. Seungcheol laughs and extends his arm, wincing slightly when the movement pulls at his cut.

 

Seokmin sets to work, falling into the routine of cleaning his wound with water and applying a drawing salve as he spellcasts, the air around them tasting like the copper tang of electricity. He removes the salve after a few minutes of intense casting to reveal Seungcheol's skin, smooth, with no indication that he was ever injured.

 

"You're really good with this," Seungcheol marvels, holding his forearms up to the light.

 

He smiles and pulls up a chair for himself, sagging heavily into it and burying his face in his hands.

 

"Are you okay?" Seungcheol sounds concerned, hands gentle on Seokmin's arms.

 

"Yeah I'm fine, just—” Seokmin trails off when he looks up; his face is now millimeters away from Seungcheol's.

 

He swallows, eyes flickering to Seungcheol's lips. He wishes he could be romantic, but they look chapped, and despite that, he wants to kiss Seungcheol _so_ bad. Seokmin licks his lips nervously, and Seungcheol's gaze is drawn to the movement. For a moment there's the slightest flicker of red in his eyes but it fades away into the warm brown of Seungcheol's eyes.

 

Seungcheol makes the first move, hands cupping Seokmin face with a gentleness that doesn't quite seem misplaced, but doesn't fit in with the nature of werewolves either. Seokmin's eyes flutter shut as Seungcheol kisses him, tilting his head into the kiss for a better angle.

 

Minghao once described kissing the right person felt like fireworks going off but it's not fireworks, no. It's the snap, crackle and pop of magic, pure energy coursing through his veins as Seungcheol's lips move against his, dry but not unpleasant, all the energy being released at the points where hands meet skin and lips meet lips, a feedback loop of energy.

 

Seokmin can _feel_ the energy coursing through him, glimmers of the excess energy Seungcheol has being sucked into his own reserves of power, rejuvenating him. He sighs into Seungcheol's mouth, feels Seungcheol smile more than see it.

 

When they finally break apart Seokmin's buzzing. He's not sure from what, but if he closes his eyes he can imagine thin wires connecting Seungcheol and Seokmin, buzzing with electricity, with energy.

 

"I've kind of waited forever to do that," Seungcheol says, sounding the slightest bit breathless.

 

"I hope the wait was worth it," Seokmin offers shyly.

  
Seungcheol nods and Seokmin gets up, pulling Seungcheol up with him and towards his room.

 

"We're not doing anything sexy," Seokmin's trying to sound stern. He's also trying to mask just how much he _wants_ Seungcheol’s hands all over his body.

 

Seungcheol nods eagerly, hair flopping into his eyes, which makes Seokmin laugh which then causes Seungcheol to grin, looking all to pleased with himself. Seokmin pushes him gently onto the bed, straddling Seungcheol and leaning down for a peck.

 

The leftover alcohol in his system and the energy coursing through him is a dangerous mix, filling him with recklessness. It slows down his thought process enough that he isn't overthinking every moment, lips moving against Seungcheol's with a barely there sense of urgency.

 

It's slow and unhurried, gasps filling the air every time Seungcheol's fingers brush against his bare skin, every time Seokmin's nails dig into Seungcheol's skin. It's warm and heady, Seungcheol running hot like he's a space heater under Seokmin, each movement comparable to moving through molasses. It's huffs of laughter and rearranging themselves to find the right angle because Seungcheol's too eager and Seokmin's the slightest bit unsure.

 

They make it work.

 

At some point both their shirts and pants come off, more gasps where Seokmin traces the silvery scars that cross Seungcheol's body. In turn, Seungcheol traces the faded marks of burns, from where too powerful amulets had rested against Seokmin's skin, or his own clumsiness. Seungcheol brushes the lightest kisses over the moles that scatter his face, neck and chest, breath catching in Seokmin's throat every time. They never cross the line.

 

Instead, they fall asleep like that, Seokmin plastered against the warm broadness of Seungcheol's back, their hands intertwined on Seungcheol's tummy. The sizzle of energy has faded into something muted, something pleasant, something that lulls the two of them to sleep.

 

☽☾

 

Minghao says Seokmin’s going ass out into his relationship with Seungcheol, but really, Minghao is just as bad with Mingyu. Worse, even, because they’ve progressed to Minghao spending an obscene amount of time at Mingyu’s place, all the while insisting they’re not anything. Seokmin caught him leaving with a bag of clothes the other day and he doesn’t _mind,_ he just thinks Minghao can be downright obstinate when it comes to admitting feelings. The silver lining to this is that Seungcheol spends more time in Minghao and Seokmin’s shared apartment than Minghao does, often complaining about Mingyu while he’s cooking for them.

 

It’s painfully domestic but Seokmin _likes_ it. Seungcheol and him aren't exactly rushing into things, but they're not slowing down either. They're taking a smooth cruise down the highway, learning more about each other as they do. There’s also a lot of kissing, mostly because they’re too close to finals to be having sex. The few times they did have sex though, had been mind blowing, probably because of how close it had been to the full moon, Seungcheol was filled with a reckless energy that Seokmin fed into, both of them a little reckless. In a move straight out of Twilight, Seungcheol had cracked his headboard. Seokmin’s not complaining.

 

They’re on Seokmin’s couch, Seokmin poring over one of his textbooks while he tries to bind a particularly complex protection charm to an amulet, something that _will_ come out in the practical testing. Seungcheol’s seated on the floor, going over his own work. The benefit of having Seungcheol around is that he’s always filled with so much energy that whenever Seokmin’s drained it’s easy to draw from him, Seungcheol being more than alright with him.

 

Seungcheol breaks the silence when Seokmin heaves a long sigh after casting the spell, the amulet glowing a soft pink the way it’s used to. He’s debating turning it into a earring for Seungcheol, or just enchanting one of Seungcheol’s earrings for protection.

 

"So I was wondering, would you like to go to the faerie reserve tomorrow?" Seungcheol looks embarrassed to be asking, cheeks tinted a rosy pink.

 

"You don't have to, if you don't want to," Seungcheol hastily interjects. “I know your practical finals start soon, but I thought you’d like the break.”  

 

Seungcheol's willingness to give up a date at the reserve is exactly why Seokmin _wants_ to go with him. Maybe they've only been dating for three months, but Seokmin's comfortable around Seungcheol in a way he's only been around Minghao, someone he's known for half his life. Seokmin likes the way Seungcheol gives and accommodates, the way he immediately sets to work on finding a solution to his problems, his earnest desire in wanting to change things for werewolves.

 

"I'd like to go to the reserves," Seokmin says.

 

“So we’ll go tomorrow?” Seungcheol asks, hopeful. Seokmin nods, running his fingers through Seungcheol’s hair.

 

Seokmin’s the slightest bit let down when Seungcheol doesn’t spend the night, but his spirits are lifted when he remembers he’s seeing Seungcheol tomorrow anyway.

 

Seungcheol arrives in the morning with Minghao in tow, whom Seokmin hugs before heading down with Seungcheol.

 

"So I'll be the first to be completely honest, and admit that Mingyu prepped our picnic basket. Like I've said before, I cook the bare minimum."

 

Seokmin laughs, shrugging. "I like my bare minimum men."

 

"You don't actually mean that."

 

They stare at each other for a few seconds, before Seokmin breaks smiling. "I don't actually mean that. Also you're like, a step above bare minimum."

 

"Thanks?"

 

He grabs Seungcheol's hand, squeezing gently. "You're welcome."

 

They get into Seungcheol’s car, Seungcheol giving control of the aux cord to Seokmin. Halfway there, he groans, begging for Seokmin to listen to anything _besides_ ballads. They listen to NCT instead, Seungcheol getting a bit too excited when My First and Last plays. It’s fun and lighthearted, right up until they get to the reserve.

 

“I’ve never been inside the Faerie reserve before,” Seokmin confesses, eying the archway leading to the reserve. It’s a structure made entirely out of plants, looking like they’ve been spelled to grow into that shape.

 

“Yeah? We’ll be fine as long as we don’t get into a faerie circle. Unless that’s something you _want_ of course, then I’m totally down to get into a circle.”

 

“People generally avoid stepping into faerie circles?”

 

“Well, I’m really stupid.”

 

Seokmin pauses for a bit, staring at Seungcheol before bursting into laughter. Seungcheol’s laughing too, and Seokmin grabs his hand, crossing the archway into the reserve.

 

You know that feeling when you clean your glasses and put them back on, only to be greeted by what _feels_ like a whole new landscape? It’s the exact same feeling he gets entering the reserve, except now he understands why Faerie reserves are comparatively smaller than other reserves. They’re _in_ Faerie, the colors too bright and jarring for them to be off Earth, the space so lush that there’s no way the plants didn’t feed off magic of the most ancient kind to grow. They’re not the only non-fey there, there are other couples too.

 

“This is incredible,” Seokmin says quietly.

 

Seungcheol nods, grabbing his hand and leading them towards what appears to be a river. It further confirms the fact that they’re in Faerie, because Seokmin doesn’t remember a river winding _anywhere_ near the reserve. The water is clear, clear enough for them to see the water fey lurking in them. Seungcheol sets their stuff down under a huge oak tree, its branches seemingly shifting to create more shade for them. They can hear the screams and shouts of a revel not too far away, can feel the drum beats like a second heartbeat.

 

Seokmin’s glad he didn’t turn this down to study, Seungcheol watching him with a small smile the whole time. Mingyu had stuffed the picnic basket with various sandwiches and snacks, as well as a flask of hot chocolate. They eat in relative silence, but it’s comfortable, the way most things with Seungcheol are. They eat and they talk, Seokmin bringing up the upcoming Yule festival. He’d been too busy to go home for Samhain, but Yule is more relaxing and he _wants_ to bring Seungcheol home.

 

“I can’t promise you I’ll be free, because Ascension is around the same time, but I’d love to meet your family,” Seungcheol says.

 

At some point, they’ve moved from being seated to Seungcheol leaning against the trunk of the tree, Seokmin cuddled up against him. He can smell the distinct scent of Seungcheol’s cologne, and with the drumbeats echoing in the distance, everything feels slow, heady, life condensed to this moment and this moment alone.

 

"You know, you never told me how your powers manifested. Like, every witch is constantly talking about their manifest, but you never do?"

 

Seokmin snorts, snuggling further into Seungcheol's chest. He can hear Seungcheol's heartbeat, a few paces quicker than his.

 

"You know how a couple years ago there was an unexpected eclipse? It wasn't on _any_ calendar, but it happened anyway?"

 

"Yeah. The pups on the reserve just shifted all at once, it was a mess," Seungcheol laughs. "That was you?"

 

Seokmin chuckles. "So I went to the noraebang with my friends, right, and we had just sat for our final for fundamental potions. I picked a song, downfall of the moon by Kim Hyuncheol. I was so into it that I didn't realize my energy had manifested. We didn't even know I'd pulled the moon until I finished the song and passed out for three days."

 

Seungcheol hums, allowing Seokmin to continue. "After that, I've been able to absorb energy, use them to cast spells. I have a whole repertoire of songs about healing that I've memorized to speed up healing, but I rarely use it. Most witches don't, only because they're the rawest form of power."

 

"And what about your heart of hearts?" Seungcheol asks.

 

Seokmin shifts so that he can meet Seungcheol's eyes. Witches don't talk about their heart of hearts often, and for good reason. Losing it often meant losing your power, making you just about as powerful as the average human. There's nothing in Seungcheol's face that betrays malicious intent, and Seokmin relaxes.

 

"It's the seat of our power," he says quietly. "We are who we are because of it. Giving it up would mean giving up our identities as witches. Of course, it's also used in necromancy."

 

Seungcheol shudders under him, subconsciously letting out a low growl. Seokmin pets his chest.

 

"Down boy. I'm safe."

 

He relaxes under Seokmin, eyes searching his hungrily. Seokmin's drawn in by them, leaning into kiss Seungcheol gently. Whatever tension still remains in Seungcheol drains away as his lips move against Seokmin, hands sliding down his back to grab his ass, pulling Seokmin against him.

 

Seokmin breaks away with a laugh.

 

"You're not going to fuck me in a park, right?"

 

Seungcheol looks chastised at the very least, hair ruffled and blush high on his cheeks.

 

"I can't fight my instincts," he insists.

 

Seokmin chuckles, getting to his feet and holding a hand out to Seungcheol. "We should head back home."

 

"Is this because I can't fight my instincts?" Seungcheol pouts.

 

He has to stifle another laugh, shaking his head at Seungcheol.

 

"No you fool, it's because we _both_ have finals coming up, and there's a lot of studying that needs to get done."

 

Seungcheol huffs, ignoring Seokmin's outstretched hand and gets to his feet, gathering their picnic mat. Their hands stay clasped together the whole walk back to their car.

 

Time passes faster in Faerie, and Seokmin had known that, but didn’t realize until they crossed over the reserve, only to find the sun setting. It had only felt like two hours on the reserve, Seokmin and Seungcheol’s phones bursting with notifications the moment they cross over.

 

It seems like a waste to miss the sunset —  Seungcheol leaning against the hood of his car, Seokmin leaning back against him. It's a memory he wants to preserve in glass, steel, wood, anything that can hold the feeling of the last rays of sun warming Seokmin up, Seungcheol even warmer against his back, lips soft against Seokmin's neck. It's perfect in the way it feels like something straight out of a fairytale, except Seokmin's no prince and Seungcheol's also no prince. They're just two people together, thriving off a feedback loop of energy.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> If you got here, thank you so much for reading this fic! Please leave kudos and/or comments so I know you loved it.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Art for Snap, Crackle & Pop](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15558117) by [svtbigbang_mod](https://archiveofourown.org/users/svtbigbang_mod/pseuds/svtbigbang_mod)




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